Xbox Beta Ring Insiders: New Friends and Followers Experience Enhances Connections

Xbox Insiders in the Beta Ring are now receiving the new Friends and Followers Experience, a feature first announced by Microsoft on September 11. This Experience has been accessible to users in the Alpha Skip-Ahead Ring for about two weeks, but Microsoft has deemed it stable enough to roll out to a broader audience now.

The primary change introduced with this feature is the return of friend requests coupled with enhanced privacy settings and management options. Under this updated system, if a user wants to befriend someone, they’ll need to send a friend request that must be accepted. If not accepted, the user can still follow that person instead.

The Beta Ring update, version 2409.240925-0005, also includes several fixes along with some known issues. Below is the complete changelog:

New Features and Experiences

We have thrilling news! Xbox Insiders can look forward to fresh updates coming to their Xbox Update Preview.

Friends and Followers

Connecting with friends has never been easier! Starting today, Xbox Insiders will enjoy a new method to manage their relationships on Xbox. For additional details, visit:

New Xbox Friends and Followers Experience

Fixes Included

Thanks to the invaluable feedback from Xbox Insiders and the dedication of Xbox engineers, we are pleased to announce the implementation of the following fixes in this build:

Capture & Share

• Resolved an issue where game clips would not always cease capturing when storage was full, potentially leading to performance problems until the console was restarted.

Home

• Fixed a problem where disc-based games already in the console at startup could show an unexpected warning badge indicating that the disc needs to be inserted.

Installation

• Addressed an issue where certain game add-ons were not being installed on the same drive as the base game when multiple storage devices were in use.

System

• Various updates made to reflect local languages accurately across the console.
• Note: Users in the Preview may encounter “odd” text throughout the console. To learn more, visit:
  What’s This? Learn More About Pseudo-Loc in Preview

Known Issues

While known issues have been listed in previous Xbox Insider Release Notes, rest assured they are being addressed! However, finding solutions may take Xbox engineers some time. Learn more about the known issues below.

Friends and Followers

• Xbox 360 friends marked as favorites may show up in both your friends and following lists. (2410.240908-1630)
• Accepted friend request notifications may appear when someone adds you as a favorite or shares their real name with you. (2410.240908-1630)

Search

• We are aware that the keyboard may lose focus after switching to the emoji keyboard during searches from Home or the guide, especially if selecting a colon or exclamation point prior to switching. (2410.240918-2200)
  • Workaround: Exit the keyboard and search again, then try once more with the cursor positioned elsewhere before switching to the emoji keyboard.

If you encounter any of these issues, please follow the provided guidance and submit feedback using Report a Problem. For more information on submitting feedback and its process, visit:

Provide feedback to Team Xbox

Where Does Your Feedback Go?

If you’re reading this and interested in becoming an Xbox Insider, you should check out this FAQ for more information. Note that you won’t get into the Beta Ring immediately after joining; the FAQ outlines the prerequisites, stating: “Beta – Open to Xbox Insiders with a program tenure of 3 or more months and an Xbox Insider XP Level of 5 or higher. This ring receives updates shortly after Alpha.”

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